Life After Death
by Probit Return
Summary: The Social Welfare Agency experiments with bringing the dead back to life. Who is their first hapless victim? None other then Elsa de Sica.
1. Reborn

Wooh! A new story. That means I've actually motivated myself to get some writing done. High fives all around.

Disclaimer: I do not own Gunslinger Girl.

* * *

Life After Death

Chapter I: Reborn

A singular light shone in the dark room. On an operating table lay the body of a girl. Her long blonde hair held a dried red tinge of color to it. The cause of death was quite obvious. A large hole remained where her right eye once was. In a small room connected to the operating room, two men observed from behind a two-way mirror.

"You can't be serious about this Gilliani. This isn't saving some poor girl from the brink of death. You're playing God here."

"Come on Bianchi. I figured that you of all people would understand what I'm trying to accomplish here."

"You're trying to bring back the dead! Need I remind you that Elsa was already mentally unstable? Even if you succeed, you could drive her even further insane!"

Dr. Gilliani just laughed at his companions words. "That's not my problem to worry about now is it Bianchi? Besides, Chief Lorenzo and Jean have given me full authority to conduct this little experiment."

Dr. Bianchi growled. "Look, I don't know how you got them to agree to this, but this isn't a game."

"Hah, it's all in the name of science my friend. You see, when a person receives a transplant, they may start to take on the personality traits of the person who held the body part before them. I've seen it with my own two eyes. If we graft the remaining parts of Elsa's brain onto a substitute brain, place it in her body, and give her enough conditioning, we should be able to revive her. Besides, you have your part in this too. After all, you are the head doctor in charge of surgery and conditioning."

Dr. Bianchi turned away from Gilliani. "This is mad. Frankenstein had more sense then this."

Gilliani laughed. "Maybe so, but I hold something over that mad doc. I'm a real doctor, and people will remember me for my contributions to medicine."

Bianchi was ready to protest when his beeper went off. Soon after, Gilliani's beeper joined in. "Heh, showtime. Let's go Bianchi, they're waiting."

* * *

Lorenzo sat in his office with a tall, brown haired man. "Giovanni La Russa, you've come highly recommended. Please, have a seat." 

"Yes sir." The man named Giovanni La Russa held a very professional aura about him. His black suit was free of any wrinkles and his golden colored tie was neatly folded. He pulled up a chair and sat down. "What does this job entail sir?" he asked politely.

"I'll tell you right now; this isn't your average military job. There will be days you won't like your job or yourself. If that doesn't feel like your cup of tea, then I will ask you to leave now."

Giovanni narrowed his brown eyes. "What is that supposed to mean? If everyone hates their job, then why would anyone be willing to take such a position?"

"The answer is simple. Are you willing to give up everything you have to help better Italy? If the answer is yes, then I'm sure you will do just fine here." A blonde haired girl in a maid outfit entered the room with a tray of cups. She set them down before bowing. "Thank you. Now as I was saying, do you think you have what it takes to work for us?"

Giovanni smiled. "I'm sure I could handle it."

Lorenzo took a sip of his tea. "Good. You're hired. Now let me explain your job."

* * *

There was a rhythmic beeping from the machines in the operating room as the doctors stood back from their latest achievement. "What did I say Bianchi? I told you it would be a success. Now we just need to wait for her to wake up." 

Dr. Bianchi stared at the newly revived cyborg girl. For once, her hair wasn't in its trademark braids that had become synonymous with her. It truly showed just how long her hair really was. _God help us for what we've just done._

* * *

The girl known as Elsa de Sica rustled slightly in her new room. She opened her eyes briefly before quickly shutting them. "Agh, bright," she complained before slowly opening them again to allow her pupils to adjust to the light. Her room was plain and white, and on a table next to her was a single white rose in a vase. _Somebody likes white too much._

She raised her hand to her right eye, feeling in lightly. She blinked it a few times, and looked at the mirror next to her. Blonde hair hung from her head, gathering on the bed, and bright green eyes stared back at her. Something felt off, but for the life of her, she couldn't figure it out. _Think Elsa, where were you before here... I don't remember. I don't remember anything._

She started to panic. _Where am I? What's going on?_ There was a light knock at the door and she looked up at it. "Who is it?"

The door opened slowly and a dark haired man in a white lab coat stepped in. He was carrying some files and a book. "Hello, it's nice to see you awake. My name is Doctor Bianchi. I'm a doctor with the Social Welfare Agency. That's where you are right now. How are you feeling?"

Elsa narrowed her eyes. "I'm fine. Why am I here?"

"You were... sick. We made you healthy again." He opened one of the files. "Would you mind if I asked you some questions?" Elsa shook her head. "Good. I'll start off easy. What is your name?"

"Elsa de Sica," she answered without batting an eye.

Bianchi smiled as he jotted some notes on the file. "Good, do you remember me?" She shook her head. "Okay. Next," he pulled out the book and opened it to a page in the middle, "do you remember anyone in these pictures?"

Elsa took a look at all of the pictures, letting her gaze hover over everyone before moving on. One picture struck a chord with her. In it was a girl with short brunette hair. Just looking at her made her blood boil. "This girl," she said harshly, pointing her out, "she looks familiar. Who is she?"

"It's just a little test," he chuckled nervously, "don't get so worked up over it." He took the photo album back from her and jotted down some more notes before he turned to leave. "I'll be going now. I'll be back to give you a checkup soon." He opened the door and stepped out, leaving it ajar. "You're up."

She watched with interest as another man walked into the room. He laughed a little as he looked at her. "So you're the famous Elsa de Sica. I've heard a lot about you. It's nice to finally meet you. My name is Giovanni La Russa." He chuckled some more. "That's some long hair you have there. My sister had hair like that. It looked really nice, but then she cut it."

Elsa ran her fingers through her golden locks. "Yeah..." she mumbled. She had never thought about her hair before, but now that he brought it up to her, she felt as if it needed a little change. "Um, could you please braid my hair?"

Giovanni smiled. "My sister really would love you." Elsa returned the man's smile.

* * *

That's chapter 1. The best way I can explain how Elsa still thinks she's Elsa despite having a new brain is that her body has "infected" her mind so to speak. Essentially, it's a bunch of sci-fi style medical mumbo jumbo. Think Liquid Snake taking over Ocelot's body through his hand. 


	2. Field Testing

Well, it's been a long time coming, but I've finally got Chapter 2. As Chapter 1 stated, I do not own the rights to Gunslinger Girl, but that's okay. I'm quite content with writing fanfiction.

Chapter II: Field Testing

Light filtered through the windows in Lorenzo's office. Dr. Bianchi stood on the other side of the desk. "What are the results Bianchi?" Lorenzo asked the doctor.

"Everything seems to be going fine so far. Elsa doesn't seem to be showing any instability yet, but it seems that she may remember Henrietta."

Lorenzo nodded. "Okay, keep checking up on her and report your findings to me. I want to know any details no matter how small."

Bianchi nodded and turned to leave, but Lorenzo stopped him before he could get far. "Bianchi, am I correct in assuming you are still against this project?"

Bianchi sighed and closed his eyes, rubbing his temples. "Yes sir. You would be correct."

"I understand your opposition to the project. Truth be told, I'm not exactly sure what to think of it myself. And Jean isn't too happy about it either, but I chose to approve of this for the benefit of the others. There is much we could learn from this."

"But sir," Bianchi objected, "the consequences could outweigh the benefits. The results could be disastrous."

Lorenzo sighed. "Such things come with the job Bianchi. I know when you joined this job, you knew the consequences." After thinking things over for a minute, he addressed Bianchi. "I want you to release Elsa from the medical wing. The increase in stimuli may provoke a reaction in her."

"Yes sir," Bianchi replied in defeat.

* * *

Elsa was ecstatic. After a week of being kept in a hospital bed, she was being released. Even the weather reflected how happy she was. The sun was shining brightly and the birds were singing with joy. It was indeed a beautiful day.

"Okay Elsa, this is your room," Giovanni stated, opening up a door.

She peaked her head in before stepping into it fully. The room itself was sparsely furnished. A bunk bed rested against one wall, a table and four chairs sat in the middle, and on the wall opposite the bed was a moderately sized desk. A small box was sitting on the table.

"Wow," Elsa gasped, "this is for me?"

Giovanni smiled. "Yup, and maybe soon you'll have a roommate."

Elsa couldn't help but frown. "I don't want a roommate."

"Everyone needs friends Elsa. I've heard the other girls here are really nice."

A pout formed on Elsa's face. "But I don't need friends. I have you."

Giovanni frowned. He'd heard that the girls had a tendency to become overly attached to their handlers. "Look Elsa, I'm just a guy who happens to be over twice your age. A girl your age needs friends. You need to be able to gossip and have sleepovers and do other girlie things." Elsa's pout grew into a full-blown frown. "Look Elsa, just promise me you'll make a few friends. Okay?"

Elsa's shoulders sagged. "Fine," she sighed, "I'll make a friend."

"Great," Giovanni cheered. "Now I've got something to give you." He picked up the small box that was sitting on the table. "Here."

She accepted the box from him and opened it. Inside was another box, this one made of a hard polymer and colored grey. "What is it?" she asked curiously.

"Open it."

Doing as she was told, she opened the case. Inside was a small black pistol. "A gun?" She looked at Giovanni questioningly.

"It's a Czechoslovakian pistol known as a vz 82. Go on, hold it. See how it feels. You will need it for your job, so get to know it. Take it apart and put it back together until you are comfortable with it." A small smile graced his face. "But don't overdo it okay?"

Elsa nodded to her handler. "Okay."

* * *

It had been about a week since Elsa had left the confines of the Agency's hospital. She had pretty much kept to herself during that time, opting to stay in her room when she wasn't training or eating.

At the moment, she was been playing the oboe her handler had given her. She was amazed at how the instrument could make such beautiful sounds and help her with her dexterity at the same time.

There was a soft knock at the door. She set her instrument down to go answer it. She opened the door to find her handler on the other side. "Oh, Giovanni, come in," she said, stepping aside to allow her handler access into her room.

Giovanni stepped into the room. "How is the oboe practice going?" he asked sincerely.

"Its fine," she responded, placing the instrument back into its case. "I'm still not very good though."

Giovanni smiled at her. "Don't worry. As the old saying goes, practice makes perfect. Speaking of which, right now, you need to get in some shooting practice."

Realization dawned on Elsa as she remembered that she was scheduled to go to the indoor shooting range today. She quickly picked up the case that held her vz 82 and walked over to her handler. "Okay, I'm ready," she stated, anxious to get in some more time with her handler.

* * *

Elsa loaded up another magazine after depleting the rounds into the target. She had been steadily improving her skills. _At least all of the shots made it into the target this time._ She thought, relieved that things were getting better. _In fact_, she added, _most of them made it into the target's chest._

"You're doing great Elsa! If you keep this pace up, you'll be taking part in the big ops in no time!"

Elsa smiled at the compliment. She slid the 12th and last round into the magazine as she heard the door to the range open. Peaking her head out from the spot she was in, she caught sight of a tall dark haired man and a blonde haired girl with long hair. "Ah, Hilshire," Giovanni called over to the dark haired man, "How are you?"

"I'm fine," Hilshire replied, "I'm just giving Triela some last minute target practice before she goes on a mission tomorrow. How is Elsa doing?"

"She's doing great. She just keeps getting better and better."

As the two men held their conversation, Elsa noticed a strange glance that she was receiving courtesy of Triela. "What is it?" she asked, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"I'm having the strangest feeling that we've met before," Triela spoke as she held her chin in her hand.

Elsa noticed the sense of familiarity that hung in the air. _She's right. It does seem like we've met before._

Triela shrugged. "I guess it's no big deal." She held out her hand. "My name is Triela. It's nice to meet you." She extended her hand.

Elsa looked at her outstretched hand for a second before shaking it. "Elsa de Sica," she replied.

* * *

Dusk had fallen over Rome. Giovanni had been so impressed with Elsa's training that he had set up a bit of field training for her a few days ago.

"Okay Elsa," he whispered, "this park is a gathering for a group of street thugs. Don't worry; they won't pose much of a threat. This is just to get you familiar with the feel of live combat." He pointed to a secluded area in the park. "The thugs have a drug deal going down over there. I want you to eliminate all of them. I counted five in total."

Elsa nodded. She made a quick check on her vz 82 and took it off safety, placing it back in its holster on her hip. The park was fairly out in the open. There were a few places to hide between where Giovanni had parked and where the drug deal was going down, but the real help came from the lack of working lights in the park.

Elsa strolled nonchalantly through the park, making use of her innocent girl façade. The thugs could be heard laughing it up with the recipients of the deal.

She was within a stones throw from them by the time they actually noticed her. "Hey little girl, you look lost," one of them snickered.

"Yeah, this place isn't safe at night," another added, "especially in the company of people like us." The man pulled something out of his pocket, which soon revealed itself to be a knife when the blade flipped out from the handle.

Elsa stood her ground. Her eyes took on a hard edge as she pulled out her pistol and pumped two rounds into the man's torso. The other four stood stunned at the turn of events allowing her ample time to fix her sights on them.

Several gunshots later, all of the men were lying in a collective pool of their own blood. Elsa heard an audible clapping behind her. It was slow and rhythmic. "Bravo," a noticeably female voice spoke. "That was quite good for your first time Elsa."

She spun around and aimed the gun at the source of the voice, a small girl with flowing blonde hair and sharp green eyes. "Who are you and how do you know my name?" she asked harshly. "Are you a cyborg too?"

The girl laughed. "I know much about you." She shrugged her shoulders impassively. "As for my name, you may call me Elise, and I'm certainly not a cyborg." She narrowed her eyes, mirroring Elsa. "Now if you wouldn't mind pointing that gun in another direction..." Elsa lowered her gun, not very happy with the answers given to her by Elise. "That's better. You have no reason to fear me."

"I don't fear you," Elsa grunted.

"I didn't think you did Elsa. I'm just reassuring you that I'm quite harmless." She flipped a lock of her blonde hair over her shoulder. "I don't want you to keep your handler waiting, so I'll be taking my leave now. It was nice talking to you." She started to walk away. "I'll see you around Elsa."

She watched the strange girl disappear into the distance, before hurrying back to her handler. "I'm done."

"Good," he smiled. "I was kinda worried when I heard the shots stop and you didn't show up." He opened his car door and climbed in. "It's getting late. Let's go back to the agency."

Elsa nodded and rushed over to the passenger side door, all the while thinking of the strange girl known as Elise.


	3. Allegra

Chapter III: Allegra

"Hello Elsa," Bianchi greeted. "Are you ready for your checkup?" The blonde haired cyborg nodded slowly. "First off, I need to ask, have you noticed anything unusual with yourself since we last spoke?"

"Not that I know of Sir," she responded. "Everything seems fine."

"That's good." He jotted down some notes on his note pad. "Have you been making friends?"

Elsa hesitated. "It's not that I need any friends, but Giovanni wants me to make some." She held her head low. "Friends aren't important."

"I see." He continued making notes. "Remember that you will have to work with these girls in the future. You would do well to establish a good relationship with them. I've heard that you've been spending time with Triela. Is that true?"

"We're just acquaintances. She's been showing me around. That's all." Part of her cringed at her choice of words. It's true, they weren't on friendship terms yet, but she found herself wanting to be friends with her anyway, no matter what she had said to herself or anyone else.

Bianchi leaned back in his chair. "Aside from your handler and Triela, who else have you been spending time with?"

"I've met Claes a few times, and I've seen Angelica around," she replied. The memory of the girl from the park came back to her. _Elise,_ she mused. _I wonder who she is. She had said she wasn't a cyborg. But how did she know who I was?_

"Elsa," Bianchi called, snapping her out of her daze. "You seemed out of it for a moment? Is anything wrong?" He had a look of concern on his face.

"No, nothing. I was just thinking about the field training," she responded.

Bianchi leaned forward and laced his fingers together. "Did something happen when you went out?" he asked with concern.

"No. It was a successful mission," she replied, going against her better judgment. After all, it wasn't as if she were lying. The mission was a success.

"I see. Would you like to talk about it?"

She shook her head. "Not particularly. I killed the thugs and made Giovanni happy. That's all that matters."

* * *

Elsa sat at her table in her room unpacking her oboe. She thought back to how she had felt when Bianchi brought up Triela. She didn't really understand what it was she had felt. Something akin to heartache was the best she could describe it.

Coming to a decision, she packed up her oboe and made her way out of the room. Walking down the hall a short ways, she stopped in front of the door Triela had pointed out as her own and Claes's room. Her hand hovered in front of the door as she hesitated. Throwing away her doubts, she knocked on the door.

Claes opened the door and looked at her questioningly. "Yes?" the bespectacled girl asked. "May I help you?"

"Is Triela here?" she inquired, avoiding the dark haired girl's gaze.

Claes shook her head. "She just stepped out. She should be back soon though. You can wait here if you would like."

A small smile crept across Elsa's face. "Thank you, I'd like that."

While stepping aside to allow Elsa entry, Claes motioned to a teapon sitting on the table. "I just made tea if you would like some. It's the last of the Earl Grey."

Elsa nodded as she sat down at the table. "Sure."

* * *

Elsa plopped down onto her bed when she had finally returned to her room after hanging out with Triela and Claes all day. She couldn't understand it. After her declarations of not needing friends, she had gone out and spent the entire rest of the day making them.

True, now that she could say that she had friends, it wasn't such a bad thing, but the idea that she was the one to approach Triela and Claes was something she couldn't make sense of. "Sigh, I've been feeling so strange today. Maybe I'm sick," she wondered. "I should be better if I sleep it off."

She pulled herself up off the bed and slipped into her nightwear before lying back down and drifting off to a peaceful sleep.

* * *

It had been a few days after her last meeting with Bianchi and her befriending of Triela and Claes. Bianchi had given her a good review and Giovanni had scheduled to take her into Rome in celebration of the past week.

Elsa was still feeling strange and had come to the decision to let her handler know. "Um, Giovanni, I haven't been feeling well for the past few days," she stated on the ride into Rome.

Her handler glanced over at her with concern. "How so? Are you sick? Did you catch a cold? Is it the flu? Can cyborgs get the flu?" he rambled on.

She shook her head. "It's nothing like that," she replied thinking it over for a minute. "I just feel strange. I don't know how else to explain it. I just feel, I don't know, happier."

Giovanni laughed. "That's nothing to worry about Elsa, you just feel good about having friends." He reached over and ruffled her hair as best as he could with it in the braids. "You'll be fine."

* * *

The day had gone smoothly so far. Elsa had picked out several outfits including a few dresses and an ensemble that just called out to her. The blue blouse just screamed to Elsa "Buy me" and the tan skirt she picked out went along really well. She had to admit, it was probably her favorite outfit.

After the shopping spree he had allowed Elsa to go hog-wild on, Giovanni decided a break was in order and took Elsa to a nice restaurant for a bite to eat. Elsa had ordered the cannelloni while Giovanni went with the ravioli.

Having finished her meal, Elsa excused herself to use the restroom. Upon opening the door, she was surprised to see someone already at the sink. The girl looked to be about 13 with bright red hair that hung just above her shoulders. her brown eyes held a deep sorrow as she gazed at her reflection in the mirror. Not wanting to interrupt the girl, Elsa turned to leave the restroom.

"Wait," the girl called, stopping Elsa in her tracks. "It's okay. I'm fine now." The red head had instantly cheered up and was waving Elsa over. "I'm just going through some things right now, and I was sorting through everything." She flashed Elsa a grin and gave her a thumbs up. "I'm fine, really."

_Is she trying to talk to me in a restroom?_ Elsa thought dully. "Its fine, I just didn't want to interrupt."

The girl smiled widely. "It's no problem, honestly. I'm Allegra Scatena. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Elsa stared at her for a minute or so. "Elsa de Sica," she replied.

Allegra laughed. "You seem pretty serious. You should lighten up. It would do you a world of good."

Elsa frowned. "You too? Does everyone think they can meddle with my life?"

"Sorry. I'm just trying to help. You don't want to have any regrets do you? Look at those people who were killed in the subway bombing. They don't have another chance to make up for their regrets, not like you." Allegra sighed. "Well I should be going. It was nice to meet you Elsa. Until we meet again," she flashed Elsa another grin, "take care."

Watching her leave the restroom, Elsa shook her head. "What a strange girl."

* * *

"She is ready to be given a room, correct?" Lorenzo asked Bianchi and a black haired man.

"I feel she is quite ready to start living in the dorm and start her training," Bianchi responded.

"And how do you feel about this Antonio?"

The black haired man tensed up a bit. "I feel Adrie's ready sir."

Lorenzo nodded briefly. "Alright, we'll put her in Elsa's room. I'll make the preparations."


End file.
